Cardinals Win Baseball Landmark Championship

May 04, 2008

Cardinals Win Baseball
Landmark ChampionshipThird-seeded CUA overcomes the odds to win it all

5/4/2008

HUNTINGDON, Pa. - The third-seeded Catholic University baseball
squad (26-13-1) overcame adversity this past weekend to win the
Landmark Conference Championship by defeating the University of
Scranton (26-16), 16-7, in the deciding game. The Cardinals
beat both the first and second seeds earlier in the tourney to then
face fourth-seeded Scranton coming out of the loser's
bracket. This marks the second Landmark Conference team
championship in two days for CUA.

The Royals started out strong taking momentum from their win
over Juniata to complete Saturday's rain out. Two runs crossed the
plate in the first and two more after a home run in the second to
put CUA in the hole 4-0. However, once again a big inning
proved to be key for CUA as they scored eight runs in the bottom of
the second to double the Royals. Patrick Quintana (Denver,
Colo./Littleton) brought the first two in after a double to right
center. Two walks then forced a Scranton pitching change but
it didn't make a difference as Tommy Little (Hyattsville,
Md./DeMatha) scored on the next at bat thanks to a fielder's choice
by Joe Maca (Oyster Bay, N.Y./Saint Dominic). Mike Goodman's
(Brookville, Md./Sherwood) single moved Maca to home and Matthew
Rosner's (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) double to left center
scored the final two runs to make it 8-4.

Holding onto the lead, it was the defense's job to hold the
Royals and despite a number of Scranton runners in scoring position
CUA managed to hold on. In the bottom of the fourth the Cards
added to the lead after a wild pitch allowed Joe Devine (Medford
Lakes, N.J./Shawnee) to scramble for home but Scranton quickly
answered to bring the lead back to four.

Mike Michalski (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Hebron) drove home
another run in the fifth with a single down the left field line but
once again the Royals chipped away at the lead in the top of the
sixth with two runs scored off of a double and a sac fly.
Just as Scranton looked to be rolling, the Cards stopped their
rally with four runs in the bottom of the inning thanks to four
singles and a pair of wild pitches. A Maca single in the
seventh and a Quintana double in the eighth then made it 16-7 CUA
continued to move closer to the elusive championship. In Scranton's
final at bat, closer Michael Bzozowski (Moorestown,
N.J./Moorestown) came in resulting in a fly ball and two strikeouts
making the final 16-7 and giving CUA the title.

Tommy Bowles (Davidsonville, Md./Mount Saint Joe) led the Cards
with four hits, four runs scored and an RBI while Rosner was
perfect at the plate going 3-3 with two runs scored and three
RBI. Quintana also notched three RBI. Ronnie Esposito
(Annville, Pa./Annville-Cleona) was awarded the win on the mound
with three strikeouts after getting the starting nod. The
Cardinals out hit Scranton 15-12 and were perfect in the field.

CUA is currently riding a ten-game win streak but will have to
wait to see if they will be invited to postseason play. The
selections will be announced on May 11th.